President Dr. Irfaan Ali and United States Ambassador to Guyana Nicole D. Theriot both spoke highly of the relationship between the two states, particularly in the area of security at a reception hosted in Georgetown on Thursday to commemorate the 248th anniversary of US Independence.
Both Dr. Ali and Ambassador Theriot were sure that the security partnership/collaboration is currently at its strongest as the two sides seek to build on the decades-old bilateral relationship.
Ambassador Theriot said the U.S regarded Guyana as a friend that it intends to keep close. Her comments countered only by Dr. Ali’s reassurance that the U.S was indeed a “great” friend to Guyana.
She said the U.S, even with its imperfections, will always stand on the side of what is right.
“In the face of bullies and tyrants, the United States will always stand with Guyana. We will continue to grow and prosper together and enjoy peace and security in this critically important region,” the U.S Ambassador said.
There was little variation to those sentiments when Dr. Ali delivered his remarks at the July 4th celebration. Both stayed clear of directly mentioning the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela.
“There is no conversation between the U.S and Guyana in the security architecture that seeks to fuel any act of aggression in the region.
“Every conversation is about keeping the region safe and peaceful.
“Propaganda of sinister plan between Guyana and the U.S has no place,” Dr. Ali said.
Meanwhile, addressing the specifics of the security partnership, Ambassador Theriot said both at the military and law enforcement level, the relationship between Guyana and the United States is at its strongest.
Guyana has hosted recent Tradewinds exercises, bringing over 1,000 partner nations’ personnel for exercises promoting regional stability along with countless military-to-military engagements.
“We have allocated significant foreign military financing to support the Guyana Coast Guard under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, and we have worked with the GDF on institutional strengthening, air domain awareness, cyber defense, and in many other areas,” the Ambassador added.
Dr. Ali thanks Ambassador Theriot for her support and input in strengthening the relationship.
“On security, there has never been a time in the history of our relationship that we have had this level of integration, trust and sharing and this level common platform.
“We are seeing the successes, we have many of our service men and women participate in specialized training programs that we never had before, greater information sharing, greater trust and this has resulted in marked improvement and brought tangible results in every aspect of our security architecture,” The President added.
He pointed to successes in curbing illicit drug movement, money laundering, and movement of arms and said the transfer of technology and assistance in the procurement of key assets has been helpful.
He was also keen to note the level of cooperation in intelligence between Guyana and the U.S, through the Guyana Defence Force and SOUTHCOM, calling it both remarkable and extraordinary.
